Means for raising sunken vessels.



I N. JELPO.

MEANS FOR RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20,1906.

906,71 6. Patented Dec. 15, 1908.

THE Nrmr ls PEIERs ca. v usumarom n. c.

NIGOLA JELPO, OF NAPLES, ITALY.

MEANS FOR RAISING- SUNKEN VESSELS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 15, 1908.

Application filed November 20, 1906. Serial No. 344,231.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NICOLA JELro, subject of the King of Italy, residingat Naples, Italy, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMeans for Raising Sunken Vessels, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention has for its object to provide means for raising sunkenvessels said means being operated by air or other compressed gas, or gasgenerated in the moment of its application for the purpose of elevatingsunken vessels or other submerged objects from the bottom of the sea inorder to recover them.

In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a view of the complete apparatusshown in the act of elevating a sunken vessel from the bottom of thesea, and Fig. 2 is a transverse section of same. Fig. 3 is a detail viewrelating to the clamping bars and the yoke combined therewith. Fig. 4.is a cross sectional view of the yoke with a part of the clamping barsalso shown, partly in dotted and partly in full lines.

My new apparatus comprises a preferably cylindrical bag 1 of waterproofcloth, rubber, leather, or other suitable waterproof material. To givethis bag the necessary resistance it will be coated or lined with anumber of canvas layers 2 or other resistant material so that it cannotbe injured by the knots of the wire netting 3 in which the said bag iswrapped. The said Wire network is sufficiently large to completelysurround the bag with its various wrappers. To give it the desiredresistance it is bent at its bottom in a loop-like manner and graspedthere by two U-shaped iron bars 1 connected together by bolts 5 Fig. l.To prevent the said loop from leaving bars 4 a metal rod 6 is introducedtherein to produce an enlargement. On the said bars which are to standthe effort of traction and elevation yokes 5 are applied, carrying ringsto which ropes, chains or rods 7 are attached, all of them converging toa single central hook 8. In order to give all of the ropes or chains thesame degree of tension they are provided at central points withregulating screws 9. The bag is then surrounded by suspension girdles 10consisting of such a number of very strong ropes as to successfullyresist the elevating efforts exerted on the sunken object. The saidgirdles are provided both at top and bottom with rings to which theelevating ropes or chains connected to hook S and ring 17 are attached,to which latter the main traction rope 11, wound to drums on board ofvessel, is connected. The bag is sewed or connected togetherlongitudinally or at its two headings so as to produce a tight orwaterproof closure. The remaining laps are cemented or sealed tightlytogether.

The wire net surrounding the bag has preferably square meshes, as shownin Fig. 1, advantageously reinforced at top and bottom of net. The bagis also provided with four openings, of which 12 is the flexibleadmission tube connected to compressors or accumulators on board ofvessel, 13 is the discharge tube, and 1 1 and 15 are safety valves.

In order that the meshes of the net forming the loop surrounding rod 6may not injure the hands of the divers they are protected by a metalguard 16 secured to the 1aws.

The operation of my new apparatus is as follows :The empty apparatus issubmerged by gravity; then the hook 8 is attached to the sunken objectby divers, and then the bag is inflated through tube 12 by opening thevalves of the compressors or accumulators.

Applicant is aware that other submarine apparatus comprising protectedinflatable bags capable of resisting great efforts have been proposed,and therefore does not make a claim for them generally, but none of themhas given satisfactory results as to resistance of bag under greatpressures, and he has found by practical experiments that the bestprotecting means is his new metal network.

Having now fully described my said invention and the manner in which thesame is to be performed, what I claim and desire to secure by LettersPatent of the United States is 2- 1. An apparatus for raising sunkenvessels comprising a cylindrical inflatable bag, a wire nettinginclosing said bag, the bottom of said netting being formed into a loop,an iron bar placed on each side of said loop, means for clamping saidbars together, ropes attached to said clamping means and means forinflating said bag after the same is sunk.

2. A submarine elevator comprising a cylmdrical lnfiatable bag, a wlrenetting surformed into a loop, a bar on each side of by the bag. said100p, means for clamping said bars t0- In testimony whereof I haveaffixed my rounding the same and having its ends tube for the bag, andsafety valves carried 10 gether, a rod inserted in the loop below saidsignature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

bars, ropes attached to said clamping means,

a hook carried by the lower ends of said NICOLA JELPO' ropes, a tube 12for putting the interior Witnesses:

of said bag into communication with an air PAOLO DE LIsTA,

compressor after the bag is sunk, an exhaust PAs UALE C. PASCOLE.

